Here are 7 major issues* and action items facing HR Executives today – and ALL of them cannot be accomplished without HR Technology of some sort…. (*from many sources including LinkedIn discussion groups/postings) Recruiting and retaining knowledge workers – attracting the new workforce Leveraging HR technology to gain strategic “CLOUT” and senior level influence Obtaining a “Total Compensation” quantification and using it to retain and recruit seasoned executive staff and newer generation workers Aligning the HR function with overall company business strategies Implementing business process improvements utilizing workflows that incorporate employee and manager self service over the web Outsourcing what is not in HR’s core competencies and that which makes economic sense Incorporating on-boarding and employee engagement programs – built and utilized even prior to the first day on the job. ******************************************************************************************************* 1. Recruiting and retaining Knowledge Workers – especially the last 2 Generations – Millennial’s and Gen X The workforce is the one component that competitors cannot easily duplicate quickly. Recruiting and Talent management are the two areas of most interest by HR executives. Taking advantage of the Boomer workforce – creating flexible job schedules, telecommute, part time positions, and the ability to be a mentor will provide strong benefits for retaining not seeking to replace, the Aging Boomer workforce. Have a website – employee and manager portal that incorporates and delivers such functionality as: Employee and Manager Self Service, Performance Reviews, Appraisals, 360 degree feedback, team interactions (twitterlike), team relate-ability, template based workflows, email triggered by events, etc, that is intuitive and common to at least 2 workforce Generations. Take care in making sure that any delivered HR related functionality must be able to be accessed by any device. 2. Leveraging HR Technology and related systems to provide Strategic, value added “information” to the Board of Directors”, move from “Data Management” to “Information Craftsmanship Use the power of technology to generate metrics and dashboards to provide forecasts and other models of strategic importance to the C-level executives, especially the CHRO, and potentially the Board of Directors. Provide information not data: seek to build or take advantage of top tier HRMS vendors who have already built, dashboards of workforce metrics. Just start with 10 or so, and gauge the reception. Chose metrics that make sense for your industry, and that would seemingly add value by leading to actionable initiatives spearheaded by HR. Consider your organization’s willingness to embrace “Predictive Analytics” from your HR functions. Go at a considered pace in formulating and distributing your findings. Make sure your underlying data and assumptions are accurate. 3. Obtaining a “Total Compensation” quantification and using it in a retainment strategy “Employers are giving up rigid wage scales in favor of flexible compensation. They are learning to live with high turnover and abolishing seniority-based pay” – BusinessWeek Magazine, The Wild New Workforce, December 2005. HR Technology and systems must be able to produce an accurate picture of total compensation for each of the organization’s employees. Boomers and aging workforce care less about base salary than all the other characteristics of the total compensation – time off, benefits coverage, flexible work schedule etc. 4. Aligning the HR function with overall corporate business strategies The traditional HR function has often been perceived by the organization it supports as both paternalistic and obsessed with legal compliance and bureaucratic trivia; the unfortunate result has been, at times, a strained relationship between HR and the rest of the organization. The new HR must change and become the enabling force that helps the organization realize its business goals and objectives. HR must be proactive in its ability to provide the Board of Directors of the organization the Information (not data) they need to strategically guide the organization. Always think “VALUE” showing how the end result of any HR initiative adds VALUE and impacts the business in a positive way. HR must remove itself from the “Silo” view of HR activities, and must understand the “company” – its plus and minuses, its direction, its competitors, etc. 5. Implementing business process improvements that incorporate employee and manager self-service. Today’s HR Technology applications provide templates for best practice workflows for many life cycle events, including email triggers, alerts and notifications with built in approval processing. Most, if not all, HRMS solutions include workflow, some standard metrics on a template dashboard, built in ESS/MSS etc. If using a selected HRMS provider – seek to use what they Examples of Opportunities for Cost Savings: Information Week Magazine provides the statistics that the cost of routine HR transactions typically falls from as much as $17 to just $2.40 when self-service technology is employed. The self service...